Merida sun nymph

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Merida sun nymph
Heliangelus spencei painted by John Gould

Heliangelus spencei painted by John Gould

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Sailor birds (Apodiformes)
Family : Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)
Genre : Sun Angel ( Heliangelus )
Subspecies : Merida sun nymph
Scientific name
Heliangelus amethysticollis spencei
( Bourcier , 1847)

The Merida sun nymph ( Heliangelus amethysticollis spencei ) or sometimes Diotima is a species of bird from the hummingbird family (Trochilidae). The systematic status is controversial. Most authors, as well as the IUCN , consider the merida sun nymph as a subspecies of the amethyst sun nymph ( Heliangelus amethysticollis ). Other authors suspect differently that it could be a subspecies of the Longuemare sun nymph ( Heliangelus clarisse ) or the orange-throated sun nymph ( Heliangelus mavors ). The Commission Internationale pour les noms français d'oiseaux ( CINFO ) regards the bird as a distinct species of Heliangelus spencei . The South American Check-list Committee ( SACC ) also follows this point of view. However, it points to the fact that there is insufficient scientific research.

features

The Merida sun nymph reaches a body length of about 9.5 centimeters. The upper part of the male is bronze green. The inner tail feathers are bronze-green, are black while the rest of the tail feathers. The parting glitters steel green. The throat and upper part of the chest have a purple shimmer. The chest is adorned with a white stripe. Green sprinkles run through the yellow-brown belly. The female looks similar to the male. The throat, however, is yellow-brown with a reddish horizontal stripe and bronze-green spots in between. The parting is only slightly greener than the rest of the upper body. The side control springs have ashen points.

Habitat

The habitat of the merida sun nymph is the cloud forest and typical parramo vegetation at altitudes between 2000 and 3600 meters. Refers to the plant from which the bird its food include the family of heather plants belonging Cavendishia bracteata and Cavendishia pubescens . The habitat is characterized by a relative humidity that ranges between 80 and 100%.

behavior

The hummingbird is mostly active early in the morning (around 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.) and late in the evening (around 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.). This is because the nectar concentration in C. bracteata and C. pubescens is particularly high at these times of the day. It is assumed that the bird tries to optimize its energy budget with this strategy.

Subspecies

So far, no subspecies of the Merida sun nymph is known. The species is considered endemic to the Cordillera de Mérida . Some authors see Heliangelus spencei as a subspecies of Heliangelus clarisse . Mostly it is considered as a subspecies Heliangelus amethysticollis spencei .

Etymology and history of research

The type specimen of the Merida sun nymph was collected in Mérida . Jules Bourcier described the species under the name Trochilus Spencei . It was later assigned to the genus Heliangelus . This name is derived from the Greek words "hēlios ἥλιος " for "sun" and "angelos ἄγγελος " for "angel, messenger, messenger". The specific epithet »spencei« is probably dedicated to the entomologist William Spence (1783–1860). The original description does not contain a dedicated dedication.

literature

  • Luis J. Cornejo U., Carlos Rengifo & Pascual Soriano, Foraging strategy of Heliangelus spencei (Trochilidae), on two Ericaeas, in a Venezluan Andes Cloud Forest
  • Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee, William H. Phelps , Guy Tudor : A Guide to the Birds of Venezuela , 1992, ISBN 978-0691082059 , p. 151ff.
  • James A. Jobling: Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm, London 2010, ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4 .
  • Jules Bourcier: Description de quinze espèces Trochilidées du cabinet de M. Loddiges . In: Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London . tape 15 , no. 171 , 1847, pp. 42–47 ( online [accessed June 6, 2014]).

Web links

Commons : Merida Sun Nymph ( Heliangelus amethysticollis spencei )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Proposal (# 142) to South American Check-list Committee (English) ( Memento of the original from September 4, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.museum.lsu.edu
  2. ↑ Investigation of H. spencei Centro Nacional de Cálculo Científico de la Universidad de Los Andes (English)
  3. ^ IOC World Bird List Hummingbirds
  4. ↑ a b Jules Bourcier, p. 46
  5. ↑ James A. Jobling, p. 187
  6. ↑ James A. Jobling, p. 361